Back in 2015, we gave a rundown of what we deemed the most relevant apps, in our blog, 15 Essential Apps for Digital Marketers. But now it’s 2020 and apps have gotten bigger, smarter and fiercer.
So where do these same digital marketing tools stand now, five years on in today’s thriving and increasingly competitive apps market? Have they stood the test of time? Are they still relevant, and what are the suitable replacements?
Quora
Essentially, an interactive encyclopedia, similar to Wikipedia, Quora is described as a question and answer website and a place to gain and share knowledge. It allows you to find information, build rapport with community members and educate yourself to the brim.
Still Relevant?
We say, overall, yes. The app boasts some fantastic content, so is great for research and information gathering, and widely used by all sorts of knowledge owners and seekers. It is also available on both iOS and Android. The issue is that it’s not the most user friendly of tools, with a user interface that takes some getting used to.
What’s a Suitable Replacement?
We suggest checking out WikiHow. A baby of Wikipedia, this has equally exciting content, such as step-by-step guides, and a simple and reliable user interface.
GoDocs
This was essentially a useful way to access your Google documents on the go, while keeping everything in a relevant order, and allowing users to see entire documents. It wasn’t an official Google app, but was available for both Android and iPhone.
Still Relevant?
No (notice the past tense above). Sadly, this app appears to be obsolete and long gone.
What’s a Suitable Replacement?
We say it’s best to just use Google Docs directly. The team over at Google have made their app buttery smooth, with easily accessible content.
Trello
This project management app allows users to create tasks and lists (or cards and boards, as they’re called), organise your workload and share documents with colleagues.
Still Relevant?
Absolutely. The app is widely accessible and a great way to organise yourself and others in your team. It’s also generally simple to use. The cards and boards provide a good user interface, with a visually appealing layout that can be personalised too. Lovely.
What’s a Suitable Replacement?
It’s really down to preference, but it’s worth checking out Asana and GitLab. These do similar things, while offering additional functions to help plan and manage projects from start to finish.
Dropbox & Google Drive
These two apps (which we reviewed together back in 2015) are cloud-based systems, allowing you to save, send and share your work documents via cloud storage.
Still Relevant?
Heck, yes. The fact that we should really now review these two giants separately – along with apps Google Drive has spawned, such as Google Sheets – shows just how useful they have become over the last five years.
While Dropbox allows you to send images that are too big for your email, Google Drive allows your team to work and edit documents at the same time from different locations – the office, home, or while travelling. Many businesses that have used Microsoft Office for decades have now replaced it with Google Drive. Says it all really.
What’s a Suitable Replacement?
In our opinion, none really compare to either of these apps. But good alternatives for Dropbox include Sync.com, and for Google Drive, OneDrive, which is Microsoft’s attempt at cloud file storage.
Feedly
This news aggregator app allows you to keep up to date with the latest daily national and international industry news across a multitude of sectors. It compiles news feeds from online sources for users to customise and share, covering everything from business and finance news to SEO and social.
Still Relevant?
Yes. In our opinion, it was (and still is) one of the best RSS feeds we’ve found. It’s user friendly – easy to set up and navigate – a great way to gain insight across your industry, and read and share the news that matters to you. It’s also available for a range of web browsers and iOS and Android mobile devices.
What’s a Suitable Replacement?
Some experts say that Feedly has its limitations when it comes to content discovery, such as past issues with marking posts as read. Other apps, including The Old Reader, Feedbin and Inoreader are said to be good alternatives.
TED
With this app, you can view and listen to what it calls TED talks – free videos and documentaries of industry thought leaders showcasing their knowledge and know-how across a wide range of topics.
Still Relevant?
We say, yes. It’s important to be inspired, and TED does just that. It’s a great tool for marketers to gather inspiration and insight to confidently build and flex their marketing muscles. It’s also user friendly, although content isn’t available offline, and is available for both iOS and Android.
What’s a Suitable Replacement?
TED is a great asset to have, but there are alternatives. This includes Hubspot, Deepstash and Talks at Google, which is available as a podcast.
Mashable
This app provided the latest news on tech, social, business and trending topics, with the odd dash of entertainment thrown in.
Still Relevant?
Unfortunately, no. What was once one of the most successful blogs around is, sadly, no more. People opting to use more innovative news apps, such as Feedly, could be the reason why Mashable hasn’t survived the test of time.
What’s a Suitable Replacement?
For Android users, Tech News seems to be climbing the ranks as the current must-have technology app and is worth a look.
Evernote
Branded as the best note-taking app available, this virtual notepad allows you to create notes while on the go, such as text, drawings, images and web content, and share them with colleagues.
Still Relevant?
We’re pleased to say, yes. If you’re a bit of a scatterbrain in the office, you’ll appreciate the value of a good notebook. From daily organising to task management, Evernote’s user friendly interface still makes online note-taking a pleasure. It is available on iOS and Android too.
What’s a Suitable Replacement?
We say Google Keep is a good contender, with the added benefit of having all your Google accounts and apps connected.
Plagspotter
This web app was a duplicate content tool, essential for marketers to ensure they followed Google’s quality content rules. It allowed them to cut straight to the chase when checking content wasn’t duplicated – considering the fact that mistakes can happen – while searching the web to check their own content hadn’t been stolen too.
Still Relevant?
Surprisingly, no. Back in 2015, we said this app may prove indispensable. Well, we’re sad to say, we were wrong. While it seems this tool would appear essential in today’s age of enforcing unique quality content, it seems Plagspotter is no more.
What’s a Suitable Replacement?
We looked long and hard and the most comparable (and fairly well-rated) alternative seems to be SEO Check. However, it’s only available on Android.
Hootsuite
This leading social media marketing and management dashboard allows you to manage and monitor all your organic social media and paid social media accounts in one place. Amongst others, it supports social network integrations for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, while providing analytics info too.
Still Relevant?
It certainly is. Available for both iOS and Android, Hootsuite is without question a market leader in social media management. It’s simple to use, allowing marketers to create, schedule and manage their social media content, and report on it, with ease. That said, there is a catch. It’s a paid service. But one that we say is definitely worth investing in.
What’s a Suitable Replacement?
There’s Sprout and Buffer (which we still love), but we think that one to keep an eye on is Later. Already branded the number one platform for Instagram, we’re excited about what’s in store for this app and where its team will take it.
Google Analytics
Probably needing no introduction, this is a web analytics service offered by Google that can track and report on your website traffic. When synced with your site, the app can give you detailed insight into its SEO and performance, and what drives your traffic.
Still Relevant?
Absolutely. With a huge level of customisable and tailored reports and data, covering everything from AdWords to eCommerce, impressions to conversions, this app is still very much the crème de la crème of analytical tools. It’s an essential application for anyone wanting to fully understand their site’s performance and improve it.
What’s a Suitable Replacement?
While we say Google Analytics is the leader and best in its field, unknown to many, there are alternative analytical programmes out there. Amongst them are Clicky, Kissmetrics and Matomo, formally known as Piwik.
StumbleUpon
This was a content curation site, allowing people to post relevant and useful content that they loved across numerous topics. The result created one big treasure trove of ideas, news, advice and insight, available to trawl through and tailor to your interests.
Still Relevant?
We’re sad to say, no. In 2018, much to shared global dismay, StumbleUpon was shut down in favour of the discovery platform Mix.
What’s a Suitable Replacement?
While Mix is okay, it hasn’t taken StumbeUpon’s place. We think Curiosity is a much better contender and worth checking out instead.
Perch
Perch basically allowed you to oversee and monitor your competitors’ mentions on social media. The iOS and Android app was similar to TweetDeck, but for multiple platforms and the option to follow news feeds, including on Instagram, Foursquare and Groupon. The app was particularly good for small businesses to better understand their social media.
Still Relevant?
No. We searched and searched, but it appears that Perch, as an iOS and Android app, is no longer accessible. Shame.
What’s a Suitable Replacement?
We say Google My Business is the main contender these days, which has a lot of the same capabilities Perch used to have.
Knock
This iOS app allows users to remotely tap into an Apple Mac in a speedy and secure way. By knocking twice on your iPhone screen, you can get immediate access to a Mac, allowing you to make quick adjustments to the digital marketing in hand.
Still Relevant?
Debatable. While the app is still very much alive and kicking, reviewers have kicked it to the curb because of not being user friendly, which includes a poor interface. This has resulted in a 1.9 rating on the Apple Store. Crikey.
What’s a Suitable Replacement?
For iOS, we recommend FingerKey and, for Android, Remote Fingerprint Unlock. There’s also TeamViewer, which we find useful too.
Social Media
Back in 2015, we covered the world of social media as one app because it’s so big. But since then, it’s got even bigger, with more and more marketers using different networking sites via their desktops and mobiles.
Still Relevant?
Are we really allowed to ask this question? Social is now so big and used by so many that it’s becoming hard to control. We say it’s even more essential for every marketer, when it comes to finding different ways to engage with their audience. With this in mind, the apps that are still most relevant in 2020 are:
Facebook – Old, but still on top. While it doesn’t have as much pull as it used to – losing millions of users over the last few years – it’s still the most popular social network worldwide, with over 2.45 billion active users. Its key benefits include providing increased exposure to a business’s potential customers.
YouTube – As the 2nd biggest global social networking site statistically, you cannot ignore the power of this video-sharing platform. It’s especially good for showing your expertise and demonstrating your products.
Instagram – Now one of the world’s most popular social networks, this reached one billion monthly active users in June 2018. It’s particularly good for visual marketing and high-level engagement.
Twitter – This social network isn’t what it used to be and is slipping down the ranks in popularity. It was reported in April 2018 that Twitter was losing 100 million tweeting users per day. That said, it’s still essential for marketing and won’t be going anywhere for a while.
LinkedIn – Growing from strength to strength, we say this is the leading app when it comes to B2B social, with over 610 million self-reported users. It’s particularly good for building your professional network and attracting new business.
Snapchat – One that businesses often overlook, this messaging app relies on sending images and videos and provides a fun way to engage with your target audience. In January 2020, it was reported to have 210 million daily active users.
TikTok – New to the mainstream UK social scene, this Chinese video-sharing social networking service is fast becoming the next big thing. As of January 2020, it had more than 1.5 billion all-time downloads worldwide. One to watch.
Using Digital Marketing Tools to Take Your Campaigns Further
So you’ve got the most relevant apps out there, but now you want to use them to take your company campaigns to the next level. This is where Soap Media can help. We can lead or oversee all aspects of your digital marketing to help you meet your business goals, from your social to your SEO.
If you’d like to find out more, visit our Digital Marketing service page, or contact our friendly team for a chat about how we can help.
